Fan



R. D. MOORE May 13, 1952 FAN 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 29, 1945INVENTOR. Faber? D. Moore ATTORNEYJI y 13, 1952 R. D. MOORE 2,596,781

FAN

Filed Dec. 29, 1945 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 R? INVENTOR.

fioerf D. Moore W WK A r ram/E K2 Patented May 13, 1952 FAN Robert D.Moore, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to The Moore Company, Kansas City,Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 29, 1945, Serial No.638,190 1 (Cl. 170-173) Claims.

This invention relates to fans, and particularly those of relativelylarge capacity. The capacity rating and operating efficiency of thistype fan is dependent, among other factors, upon the number, shape andsize of the blades, and the pitch or angle at which the blades aremounted. It has, therefore, been economically impractical to alwaysobtain a fan exactly suited and capable of operating efliciently fora'particular job. This is because manufacturers have reduced theirmanufacturing and sales expense by standardizing on fans of certainratings; otherwise, manufacturing costs for producing a great variety offans, capital investment and storage would make such fans excessivelyhigh in cost.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to providea fan construction involving standardized parts having a relatively wideflexibility in arrangement so that they may be readily and inexpensivelyassembled into a fan having a rating particularly adaptable to a job inhand. Therefore, when the fan is installed, it is capable of economicaland efficient operation.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a fan hub and bladeconstruction which permits a firm and secure anchorage of the blades; toprovide a hub and blade construction whereby the blades may be mountedon the hub at any desired angle; and to provide a hub and bladeconstruction whereby the blades may be mounted in any desired numberand-position about the periphery of the hub.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a fan equipped withguide vanes that may be mounted at any desired angle and located inanydesired number about the axis of the fan.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention hereinafterpointed out, I have provided improved structure, the preferred form ofwhich is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fan constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a fan.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the rotor element of the fan,particularly illustrating shape of the hub and mounting of the blades.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the blades.

Fig. 5 is a detail section of the air guiding section of the fan.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the fins for the section of thefan shown in Fig. 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

l designates a fan constructed in accordance with the present inventionand which includes a motor 2 concentrically mounted within a centralhousing member or cowling 3 carried by radial vanes 4 within an annularring 5 later described.

The power shaft 6 of the motor carries a central member or hub 1 havingspecial construction and which carries a plurality of fan blades 8, alsoconstructed in accordance with the present invention and which arerotatable within a ring 9 secured to the ring 5 by fastening devices Itthat extend through abutting annular flanges II and 12 on the respectiverings. The rings also preferably have flanges l3 and M on their outeredges by which the fan may be mounted in a particular installation.

The hub l is illustrated as including a somewhat coned disk portion I5on a sleeve it that is mounted on the motor shaft. The periphery of thedisk portion l5 terminates in a lateral outwardly curving flange I! thatis of substantially spherical contour for a purpose later described. Thejuncture of the flange ll with the disk I5 is preferably provided withan inset shoulder l8 to seat a cowling plate l9 fixed to the outer endof the sleeve It and rounding toward the disk portion [5 so that theterminal rim 20 thereof seats within the inset shoulder IS. The cowlingand sleeve may be retained on the shaft of the motor in various manners,however, in the illustrated instance the sleevelfi is mounted on abushing 2| anchored to the shaft 6. The sleeve is retained in seatingcontact with an annular flange 22 of the bushing by a cap 23 havingthreaded connection with the outer end thereof as shown in Fig. 2. Ifdesired, the disk portion l5 and cowling l9 may be provided withinwardly extending flanges 24 that are adapted to be attached to thesleeve 15 as by welding or the like. The flange ll cooperates with anannular ring 25 having substantially the same curvature and width butarranged reversely so that the larger rims thereof abut and are adaptedto be secured by a band 29 that is attached thereto. The inner portionof the ring 25 terminates in an inwardly extending flange 27 to enhancethe rigidity thereof.

It is thus obvious that the ring and flange thus provide a hub havingthe annular contour of the band or belt of a sphere, the center point ofwhich is in the axis of the hub. The spherical contour of the hub formsan important part of the present invention in that it facilitatesmounting of the blades 8 in any position and at any desired angle aboutthe periphery thereof as now to be described.

The blades 8 may be of suitable shape and formed of a single thicknessof metal; however,

in the illustrated instance the blades have an airfoil cross section andare preferably formed of sheet material bent to provide a rounding edgeface 28 and forwardly and inwardly curving side faces 29 and 30interconnected at the front edge face 3| of the blade. The inner or rootends 32 of the blades are spherically concave to conform to thespherical contour of the hub as best shown .in Fig. 4 and are providedwith a lateral flange 33 extending thereabout and. which may be formedby bending the material of the blade outwardly from the face thereof.The blades may be of various length and contour but the flange orattaching portions thereof are shaped to correspond with the contour ofthe hub. The blades and hubs, thus constructed may be kept as stockparts and any number of blades may be used with g a hub to provide a fanof a given diameter and capacity rating for a certain R. P. M. Since theattaching flanges 33 of the fan blades conform to the spherical shape ofthe hub, they set firmly thereagainst in any position about theperiphery of the hub and the blades may be turned at any pitch angledesired for a particular job. The blades may be attached in position byfastening the flanges to the hub of the fan, for example, by welding.

The cowling for the motor may also be formed in a manner similar to thehub of the fan in that it includes ring sections 36 and 3! of sphericalcontour and joined together as at 38 to form the belt of a sphere havinga center in the axis of fan rotation. The outer ring 5 has its webportion 39 curved on a radius from a center common to the center ofradius for the rings 36 and 31.

The guide vanes 4 are suitably shaped and here illustrated as comprisinga single thickness of material having the ends shaped and provided 4said spherical surfaces, a ring underlying said abutting edges andwelded to the annular portions to form the centra1 belt of a sphere,blades having concave inner ends corresponding in shape to said centralbelt whereby the blades may be selectively positioned at any desiredlocation and pitch angle about said central belt, and means for securingthe blades in said selected positions.

3. A fan including a hub member comprising complementary sheet metalsections, one of said sections having a disk portion provided with alateral annular portion having a spherical surface and an annularterminal edge of a diameter equal to the equatorial diameter of a spherecorrespondresponding in shape to said central belt whereby the bladesmay be selectively positioned at any with flanges 40 and 4| inconformity with the contour of the rings 36 and 37 whereby the vanes maybe positioned at any angle and in any desired position about the axis ofthe fan. Since the vanes may be located at any desired position, it isobvious that any number of vanes desired may be assembled within theunit and secured in position by welding the flanges at the ends thereofin a manner similar to attachment of the blades previously described.

The motor may be mounted concentrically Within the cowling; for example,by fastening devices 42 carried by the rings 36 and 31 as shown in Fig.2.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a fan constructionwhich is adapted for standardization of parts so that the parts may beassembled in any desired relationship to provide a fan that will operateefficiently for any given job. It is also obvious that I have provided arelatively strong and rigid attachment for the blades since they are tofit the spherical contour of the hub in any of the positions in whichthey may be mounted. It is also obvious that I have provided a fan withan air directing section having desired location and pitch angle aboutsaid central belt, and means for securing the blades in said selectedpositions. v

4. A fan including a hub member comprising complementary sheet metalsections, one of said sections having a disk portion provided with alateral annular portion having a spherical surface and an annularterminal edge of a diameter equal to the equatorial diameter of a sphereto said central belt whereby the blades may be vanes that may besimilarly arranged and secureequatorial diameter of a spherecorrespondingv with said spherical surfaces, means joining said abuttingedges with said annular portions cooperating to form the central belt ofa sphere, blades having concave inner ends corresponding in curvature tosaid central belt whereby the blades may be selectively positioned atany desired location and pitch angle about said central belt, and meansfor securing the blades'in said selected positions.

2. A fan including a hub member comprising complementary sheet metalsections having annular portions provided with spherical surfaces andabutting edges of a diameter equal to the equatorial diameter of asphere corresponding with selectively positioned at any desired locationand pitch angle about said central belt, and means for securing theblades in said selected positions.

5. A fan including a sheet metal hub having a peripheral surfaceconforming in shape to the central belt of a sphere, a disc extendinginwardly from an edge portion of the hub, sheet metal blades havingtheir root ends spherically concave to correspond in curvature with saidperipheral surface, means for fixedly securing the entire root ends ofthe blades to any selected spaced peripheral portions of the hub withthe entire root end of each blade contacting the respective selectedperipheral portion throughout so as to thus ,dispose the blades at anyselected pitch angle relative to the axis of rotation of the fan.

ROBERT D. MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Zeidler' Sept. 30, 1947

